Strange Clouds
by Maia Flynn
Summary: Just another AU Finchel.
1. Chapter 1

Rachel Berry has always done what she thinks is right – always. When she was four she decided no one but herself could dictate her marching orders.

Rachel thought wearing sweaters was the right thing. So what if the entire student population thought she was an overgrown toddler? She was going to outshine each and every one of them. In any case, she was the only person in middle school never to have had frostbite on her arms.

When Rachel was in high school she thought it was right to improve her look by wearing skirts under her sweater. So what if the girls sniped at her in the corridors to wear more and the boys not-so-subtly stared at her butt for the first week? They were just intimidated by the fact that she could carry off short skirts.

She believed in non-violence. So what if she wanted to claw out Quinn Fabray's eyes every time she opened her mouth to offer yet another insult to her dressing sense, looks or popularity? By killing Quinn now, she would spare her from the torture after leaving the shelter of the school hierarchy. After all everyone must reap what they sow.

Rachel believed in sharing her talent. So what if the MySpace videos got over a hundred dislikes? They were just ignorant of pure talent. There was a chance she could be discovered on MySpace for her extraordinary voice, and that would be her ticket out of the hellhole she knew as WMHS.

Rachel has never compromised in her beliefs. At least not until she met the six foot three inches of Finn Hudson.


	2. Chapter 2

**Special thanks to strawberryfinn ad everyone else who's been reviewing:) It's you guys that give me the incentive to write more! Without further ado, here's the next chapter. Enjoy and let me know your thoughts :)**

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><p>Finn Hudson's always been a quiet guy. He's never been the one with the most friends. His mother tells him he didn't have any friends in kindergarten, which is weird, because kids aren't mean so young.<p>

Finn doesn't like making decisions. It's pretty obvious to anyone, even the middle school teachers, that he would rather fade into the shadows than stand up for himself. He still doesn't have too many friends except Noah Puckerman – the boy who comes late to class and is the resident badass and is worshipped. He can only hope that some of his popularity rubs off on him.

Finn's wish back in middle school came true. In the lone, harsh road called high school, Finn feels like he's found his place. Of course, Puck (as he prefers to be called) is right alongside him and their friendship is still as strong as ever. It helps that he's grown a foot between summer and sophomore year and that girls seem to think he's good looking.

Finn's indecision is pretty well known to people. Some people mistake it as him being dumb. But Finn's indecision is what led him to the peak of popularity – his indecision in trying out for the football team. By the time he decided he was trying out, the only spot on the team was of the quarterback and it goes without saying that he got it. He thanks his indecision sometimes.

Finn Hudson is indecisive. Except when it comes to Rachel Berry.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone:)**

**Sorry for the late update. Enjoy (fingers crossed)**

**Read and review please!**

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><p>Puck's always been a badass. Or at least, he's always thought so. In middle school, Finn Hudson used to follow him around like an irritating puppy. He still does. But it's not as irritating any more because beneath the stupid, helpless expression he always wears, Finn's always got his back.<p>

After the Quinn debacle in high school, one would think that they would no longer be friends. After a seriously long silent treatment, bar brawl and finding a hot girlfriend, Finn and he are closer than ever.

He doesn't really mind Finn's girlfriend but he's pretty sure she's been eyeing him. This does nothing but scare him. It hits a little too close to his 'relationship' with Quinn and he can't lose his best friend again. He's not sure what to do but he figures that he'll mind his shit and Finn can mind his bit-…er, girl.

He's working at the bar to pay off his college loans. (Surprise, surprise, he got into NYU) He's grown up a lot since high school but he occasionally reverts to his asshole ways. He thinks it's a reflex when he sees hot women. Who doesn't like Puckzilla? And tonight, when he sees the hot woman ordering a couple of shots, he can't help but feel the jerk side of him smirking.

He grins and pours her her drinks. "That's a bit strong of you're planning to hang around on your own, don't you think?" he asks her.

She just smiles and replies, "I'm not alone." She points to another woman sitting at a table and adds, "She needs a bit of a pick-me-up. Break ups are tough."

He raises an eyebrow and tells her, "I get it. Cheers." He adds a wink before turning away. He doesn't catch her disappointed expression when he does.

She comes back in a bit and asks for another drink. He hands it to her with a smirk when she asks, "What's your name again?"

He cant help but grin genuinely this time before replying, "Puck. Noah Puckerman." Her eyes look brighter all of a sudden before she yawns a bit. He laughs at her mentally for being such a lightweight. Her friend on the other hand, seems to be downing her drinks with a ferocity he hasn't seen before.

She seems to notice him looking at her friend when she says rather quickly, "I'm Steph. And that's Rachel, if you're interested." She pauses for a few seconds before adding, "I hope you aren't."

Rachel comes along and says, "Steph, we should go now." She smiles apologetically at Puck before tugging at her arm. Steph looks a little grumpy and whispers rather loudly, "Rach, you're the worst wing-woman ever."

Puck chuckles and is even more surprised when Steph turns to him and says, "It was nice to meet you Puck." She blushes and mutters something like 'I hope I see you again' before being escorted out of the bar by Rachel.

He suppresses a groan when he notices her ass as she walks away. He knew no one could resist the Puckzilla.

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><p><strong><em>Reviews are appreciated<em>**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys:) Since a few of you have been asking whether Rachel and Finn have known each other, the answer is no. They've been in the same high school and everything but Finn's never been in Glee so he doesn't know Rachel by name. **

**Thank you for all the comments, keep reading and reviewing:)**

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><p>Rachel wakes up on Sunday with a mild headache that only comes from a hangover. She vaguely remembers being dragged into a bar by Steph only to be the one dragging a drunk Steph out.<p>

She loves Steph, really, but she thinks it's stupid of her to have taken her to a bar when she's such a lightweight. Speaking of the devil, Steph walks into the room and gives Rachel an apologetic smile. Rachel rolls her eyes but she can't be mad at Steph for more than ten minutes and she knows it.

"I'm making coffee for that head ache. And pancakes?" Steph half asks, although she knows the answer. She and Rachel have been roomies since she moved to New York – something she and Rachel have been thankful for because there's no one else who can ground Rachel like Steph and there's no one who can encourage Steph like Rachel.

Rachel sighs and says, "Yes please." She massages her temple slightly before adding, "Thanks Steph. No one else would have dropped everything else to deal with me."

Steph smiles while making the coffee and turns around. "Rach, we're best friends for a reason."

This makes Rachel happier than she's been since her break up because Steph's just always there for her. She suspects that Steph and she are closer than just best friends. They're practically sisters. After all, her dads love Steph almost as much as they love her! And that's saying a lot because they've met her only thrice. Yet, they remember to call Steph up separately once in a few days to make sure she's all right. Whenever she gets the calls from Rachel's dads, she always mouths, 'Must be my natural charm.'

Rachel snaps out of her thoughts when Steph hands her a cup of coffee and goes into her room to check on her laptop. She sees Steph's phone lying on the table and is about to give it to her when she sees a text from Steph's ex, Robert.

She's disgusted that Robert would even text her again after their messy break up. Steph's never really gone into the details about him cheating but she knows from her ex, Jesse, that Robert had slept with one of Steph's friends from high school. She's going to tell Steph when another text from a contact named Finn shows up. She's curious about this Finn, since she knows everyone in Steph's life so she reads the text. 'I need to see you soon,' it says. She's shocked by this message and her realises that the text is suspiciously like a booty call. Her hand shakes a bit before she deletes the message and leaves the phone on the table. She refuses to let Steph be associated with this Finn.

So much for a peaceful morning. She shakes her head and goes to check on the pancake batter.

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><p><em><strong>What did you think? Let me know by hitting the review button or send me a PM<strong>_

_**x**_

_**Maia**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey:) Here's the next chapter - let me know how you liked it!**

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><p>Finn wakes up on Sunday in a good mood. He's got a date with his girlfriend that evening, which automatically means he's getting laid. He cheers internally every time he thinks of how lucky he's gotten with his girlfriend.<p>

He has a grin on his face until he's met with the sight of Puck sitting at the dining table with a pensive look on his face. The grin slips off immediately and he wonders why Puck is thinking at this early hour instead of saying bye to some girl he brought home yesterday. He thinks of everything from Puck's video game collection being stolen to someone in his family dying but none of it seems to fit with that expression he has.

Puck notices his presence and looks up. "Hey Hudson, good to see you up so early. I made breakfast." Finn's too shocked to notice that Puck's breakfast looks delicious as opposed to the normal burnt food they eat everyday. Puck sees his shock and says, "What's the problem? Why're you looking at me like I've grown two heads or some shit like that?"

Finn sits down and grabs a plate before saying, "Kicked the girl out early today Puckerman? Or did you make her cook this for us?"

An annoyed expression crosses his face before he retorts, "I cooked that you know. I did take care of the squirt back home."

"You didn't answer my question. What happened with the girl?"

Puck looks like a deer caught in the headlights before he mutters, "Nothing. That's the problem." Finn doesn't understand but before he can inquire any more Puck says, "I'm going for a run. Before I forget, I was s'posed to tell you about the project for class or something."

Puck leaves their apartment pretty quickly, leaving him to wonder about what happened with the girl last night. He's distracted when he remembers about the project for business studies. He realises that he has to inform his partner from the art department so that they can get to work soon. He finds his phone, sending the message, 'I need to see you soon.'

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><p><em><strong>ooh, the plot thickens:) Hit the review button - you know you want to<strong>_


	6. Chapter 6

**_Thank you all for reading, but please review or PM because without comments, I don't have initiative to write more. I need at least 5 reviews to write the next chapter._**

**_Special thanks to noro, who has reviewed almost every chapter:) _**

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><p>Puck wakes up on Sunday morning pretty early. It's pretty normal for him to do so but normally there's a girl next to him, who's spent the night. He's had the weirdest dream ever and he can't help but wonder why the hot girl from the bar was starring in it.<p>

And the dream wasn't like R-rated or anything. It was normal. He was with her.. Steph? They were back in Lima and at the mall, just hanging out. He can't understand why he's dreaming about a girl he's just met for a few minutes. Granted, she's hot and into him but so are most girls and he doesn't have normal dreams about any of them.

He doesn't want to think so much so he does the one thing that can take his mind off it – cook a proper breakfast like he used to do for his Ma and sister whenever they got news about his dad. He's halfway through cooking when he starts thinking about last night again. A loud clatter from Finn's room brings him back to the present and saves their breakfast from burning to a crisp.

After cooking breakfast he sits at the table and has nothing to distract his mind so naturally, he starts thinking about Steph again. That's when Finn comes by and they have this super-awkward conversation until Finn asks him about the girl. Puck's shocked. 'How can Finn tell? Did I mention her?' he thinks. He mutters that nothing happened just to make sure that even if Finn knows, he won't have to talk about it.

Puck decides to go for a run just to get away from it all.

After half an hour of blood and sweat (no tears though) he stumbles over to a coffee shop to eat breakfast, which he conveniently forgot to at home. He sits down at a booth with his bacon when he hears a familiar voice, "You're Puck, aren't you?"

He looks up to see the short brunette from last night. 'What was her name again?' he wonders. "Yeah. You were at the bar yesterday.." he starts

"Rachel. Rachel Berry. Pleased to meet you sober," she smiles and shakes his hand. "May I sit here? The other booths are full." She slides herself in opposite him without waiting for a reply.

He finds out quickly that Rachel likes to talk a lot. He's hoping she'll say something about her friend but she likes the attention. He surprises himself by listening and somewhere along actually having a conversation with her.

An hour later, they both leave the coffee shop with each other's numbers. He feels a pang of guilt for some reason but he figures there's no point analyzing it.

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><p><strong>Ooh, do I sense a little Puckleberry here?<strong>

**Hit the review button - you know you want to:)**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Honestly, I'm pondering whether to even continue this story. I understand that mediocre writing gets mediocre response but I have no encouragement whatsoever to write anymore. I'm really not trying to blackmail you guys into reviewing but that's the only way I know my stories are being appreciated. I don't know the next time I'll be putting up another chapter. **

**I really do apologise to the people, like noro, who have been reviewing consistently. **

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><p>Rachel's really confused after reading the text on Steph's phone. She can't for the life of her figure out why Steph would do the whole booty call thing. Steph's really shy when she meets new people so she doesn't get why this Finn, she's irritated by his name altogether, has anything ti do with her best friend.<p>

She figures she'd better get some of Steph's pancakes but Steph has to leave urgently to meet one of her other friends, whom she hasn't seen in a while. Steph apologises and Rachel's just happy to know that she isn't meeting Finn. She head's down to a coffee shop when she sees a familiar face.

"You're Puck, aren't you?" she asks, remembering the bartender. She can tell he doesn't remember her name but recogonises her. She sits with him for breakfast, stating that there aren't any free tables but she's seen the small empty one while entering.

Rachel means to question him, because he doesn't seem to be hung-over and she'd like to know what kind of a drunk she is but he surprises her by being able to hold a conversation as compared to her usual interrogation. She's impressed. Not many men can stand talking to her, something to do with her bubbliness, she's told. But Puck – He's actually fun to talk to and he makes her laugh a fair few times. She can see herself enjoying hanging out with him so at the end of breakfast she demands that they exchange numbers and keep in touch, as friends of course.

She leaves the coffee shop, happier thanks to Puck's humor. The minute she gets home she's plagued with the thoughts of Steph attending to booty calls. She tries to shake it off when she sees how paranoid she's being. She can't stand it so she leaves her bag on the counter and goes to take a shower to clear her mind.

She's halfway through her usual medley she sings in the shower when she hears the door open. She assumes it's Steph but the footsteps seem too heavy to be female. She gets out of the shower, wearing her baggy t-shirt and shorts, holding her pepper spray. She tiptoes toward the living room when she sees an incredibly tall man sitting on the couch nervously. She figures he's not there to rape her so she stands in front of him, one hand on her hip before asking, "Who are you?"

He looks up at her, and she almost smiles at the way his eyes crinkle as he offers her a grin and at how he runs his hand through his hair. "I'm Steph's partner in her term project.." he says.

She laughs for no reason and says, "I'm Rachel. I'm Steph's roommate slash best friend." He grins at her again, and she's shocked at the effect it has on her.

"Uh.. Yeah, I've heard of you. She's spoken about you before." His eyes suddenly look a lot darker and he licks his lips. 'He looks so hot,' Rachel's mind pipes in. She's going to say something when she realises he's looking a little lower than her head. _Great, she's forgotten to wear a bra and now a random boy, no matter how hot he looks, is gaping at her chest. Brilliant._

She covers her chest with her arms and clears her throat. His head snaps up and his cheeks become red. She's a little uncomfortable so she asks, in typical Rachel Berry fashion, "Why are you here?" Her voice is laced with annoyance and the man seems to sense it.

His cheeks become a deeper shade of red before he replies, "She gave me her address when we met first in case of any problem. And I… there was a spare key right in front of the door. She hasn't replied to my text earlier today and it's pretty urgent." She nods sharply and he knows that all is not forgiven. "I'm sorry."

She nods again before informing him that Steph will be back shortly and to make himself comfortable. She adds the last part with a pointed look before turning to the counter and texting Steph,

She notices a text from her professor asking her to prepare a piece for tomorrow's lesson when the door opens again. This time it's Steph. "Rach, I'm so sorry. Do you still want pancakes?" she asks. She then notices the man sitting on the couch before exclaiming, "Thank goodness you're here, Finn."

Finn. As in the Finn who sent the booty call message? Rachel's head snaps up immediately and she glares at the two of them.

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><p><strong>Awkward times ahead. R&amp;R <strong>


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